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Ghana's contemporary art scene thrives buoyed by local and international support

Morning light enters Ablade Glover’s
studio in Accra. The artist takes the measurements of a blank canvas and
then applies electric blue stains to it with a brush at regular
intervals.
At the age of 84, the founder of the Artists Alliance Gallery in the
Ghanaian capital is known far beyond the borders of his country for his
work.

25 years ago, he created this seaside art gallery and opened it to the
public to promote contemporary art, particularly from Ghana.

Local artists were relatively ignored and alone, and in society in general, few people bought art

Glover recalls that at the time, local artists had no support, most of whom had to work side by side to earn a living.

But a major turning point has occurred in recent years, with a growing
international recognition of contemporary African art. More and more
artists earn money – sometimes a lot – thanks to the work of galleries
like Glover’s, and to the organization of festivals and major artistic
events bringing together curators and passionate collectors.

One of Ablade Glover’s works can be seen in Seth Dei’s private gallery, in a quiet street in a leafy suburb of Accra.

This 73-year-old businessman is a strong supporter of local artists, and
he prefers, he says, to hang a Ghanaian painting rather than a Picasso
on the walls of his living room.

“I like to be surrounded by paintings that I can understand, that
reflect who I am,” he told AFP, pointing to a forest painted by Glover
in bright orange red.

This painting is one of the 550 works of art he has accumulated and stores between his house and his gallery.

Dei, co-founder of a fruit and vegetable export company, began
collecting art in 1993. He has observed the changes in the way African
art is viewed for decades and, above all, the difficulty Ghanaian
artists have had in gaining a reputation on the international scene.

“Local artists were relatively ignored and alone, and in society in general, few people bought art,” he says.

He did his best to help Ghanaian art and to encourage artists to
continue creating, until he made a name for himself in the country.

“The artists would come in and say: I painted this, I think you should
have it in your collection,” says Dei. “Even when I didn’t have any
money, I would gradually repay it.”

He has seen the careers of artists now recognized abroad, such as Wiz Kudowor, Larry Otoo and Kofi Setordji, take off.

“People are getting used to the idea of selling works in dollars, which
would have been impossible a few years ago, and the price of works of
art is rising,” adds the collector.

Venice Biennale

The growing popularity of contemporary Ghanaian art is twofold: many
works have left the country, been purchased by expatriates or exhibited
in Europe and the United States.

Ablade Glover and Seith Dei dream of seeing a public institution invest
in preserving art on the spot and allowing Ghanaians to discover and
appreciate it.

They hope that the government will create a national arts museum.

There are already more and more private exhibitions, as well as a
travelling museum since 2002, created by novelist, filmmaker and art
historian Nana Oforiatta Ayim.

Returning to Ghana in 2011 after years in the United Kingdom, she has
used her address book to support local artists and organizes events to
promote young Ghanaian artists.

“I had seen the old generation work, but the international career (of
these artists) was struggling to take off,” she explains. “All I wanted
was for them to have the same chances at the beginning as a young artist
in London.”

Nana Oforiatta Ayim and Ghanaian-British architect David Adjaye
announced a few days ago that Ghana would have a pavilion at the Venice
Biennale in May.

“David and I worked on the Venice Biennale as part of a larger
initiative to create an infrastructure to promote art in Ghana,” says
the young woman. “We are working very seriously on this in discussions
with the government”.